Hurricane Matthew remains a powerful Category 4 storm as of 11 am Monday, but winds have increased to 140 mph. The center was about 200 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, moving north very slowly at 6 mph.

Haiti looks to be the hardest hit initially, being on the northeast side of the storm. Life-threatening rain, wind, and storm surge are expected over the next 24 hours. A Hurricane Warning remains in effect for Jamaica, Haiti, portions of Cuba, and the southeastern Bahamas.

Once over the Bahamas late Wednesday into Thursday morning, Matthew should weaken to a Category 3, before tracking off the Florida and Georgia coasts later Thursday into Friday. By the time it is off our coast, it will likely be a Category 2 storm. The question is how close to our coast will Matthew track?

A farther west track would bring greater impacts, while a farther east track would bring fewer impacts. The track has shifted a bit west today, and at the very least, we should expect some impacts including rough surf, rip currents, beach erosion, and at least some rain and wind along the coast. Those impacts could begin as early as Wednesday night and continue into Saturday morning before Matthew exits to our north and east.

Stay with Storm Team 3 as we continue to track Matthew, and be sure to download the WSAV weather app.